Amazon RDS vs Google Cloud SQL comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google are both solutions in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category. Amazon Web Services (AWS) is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4, while Google is ranked #6 with an average rating of 7.8. Amazon Web Services (AWS) holds a 13.5% mindshare in DS, compared to Google’s 7.8% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Google users who would recommend it.

Amazon RDS

Read 58 Amazon RDS reviews

3,802 Views
3,650 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Google Cloud SQL

Read 23 Google Cloud SQL reviews

2,134 Views
2,070 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Amazon RDS

Google Cloud SQL

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 8, 2026

Amazon RDS and Google Cloud SQL are competitors in the cloud-based database services category. Amazon RDS seems to have the upper hand in deployment agility and availability, while Google Cloud SQL shines in cost-effectiveness and management simplicity.

Features: Amazon RDS is praised for easy database creation, seamless integration with AWS services, and its ability to support multiple database engines like MySQL, Oracle, SQL Server, and Amazon Aurora. It also offers automated CI/CD tools, serverless options, and high resilience. Google Cloud SQL is appreciated for its automatic backups, high availability, and strong data protection. It ensures seamless integration with GCP services and provides a user-friendly, cost-effective solution for managing various data needs.

Room for Improvement: Amazon RDS could benefit from simplifying configuration complexities, enhancing shell access, and offering expanded support for more database engines. Cost management features also require improvement. Google Cloud SQL should improve integration with external data sources and provide more intuitive data analysis tools. Users have also noted a need for enhanced documentation and support for high-end I/O operations.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Amazon RDS is favored for its straightforward deployment in the cloud, though it receives criticism for the responsiveness of its technical support without premium options. Google Cloud SQL is acknowledged for effective support services, yet there is room for improvement in initial response times and documentation clarity. Both platforms offer sufficient support, with premium services recommended for complex issues.

Pricing and ROI: Amazon RDS has mixed reviews on pricing, attributed to high costs that are often justified by operational savings and scalability benefits. Its pay-as-you-go model is beneficial, but unexpected expenses necessitate careful cost monitoring. Google Cloud SQL is competitively priced, offering predictable and lower costs, making it an attractive option. Both services assure ROI, with Amazon RDS's comprehensive management and high availability adding to its value proposition.

To learn more, read our detailed Amazon RDS vs. Google Cloud SQL Report (Updated: February 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Amazon RDS vs. Google Cloud SQL

February 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 882,260 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon RDS

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

2nd

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

9th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Google Cloud SQL

Ranking in Database as a Service (DBaaS)

6th

Ranking in Relational Databases Tools

19th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database Management Systems (DBMS) (9th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2026, in the Database as a Service (DBaaS) category, the mindshare of Amazon RDS is 13.5%, down from 25.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Google Cloud SQL is 7.8%, down from 16.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Database as a Service (DBaaS) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Amazon RDS	13.5%
Google Cloud SQL	7.8%
Other	78.7%

Database as a Service (DBaaS)

Featured Reviews

reviewer2592669

Director Software Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Positive experiences with database services, with minor room for feature enhancements observed

I don't really see any disadvantages of Amazon RDS. With Oracle, I think AWS doesn't provide the RAC stability. If you have Oracle installed in your own data centers, you can set up various clusters and we can set up the RACs, but in Amazon RDS, we cannot have the RAC feature of Oracle. They could add that feature. Amazon RDS has limitations regarding RAC. If we talk about installing Oracle in RDS, we cannot have the RAC, but if you deploy Oracle on GCP, then there is probably the RAC feature available. I observed that around two or three years back, but I'm not sure whether they have added the RAC feature in AWS. Amazon RDS is expensive compared to GCP. GCP also has the same features, and although it is quite extensive and feature-rich, I see Amazon RDS as slightly expensive compared to other clouds.

Read full review

Victor Danso

Database Engineer at Springer Nature

Migration to cloud eases management but needs better support for high I/O operations

Google Cloud SQL needs to improve its support for high-end I/O operations. On-prem systems with high I/O capabilities perform better, as Google Cloud SQL takes more time to handle the same tasks. There is also difficulty in changing the time zone after the database is set up. Moreover, some features available in MSSQL on-prem are missing on Google Cloud SQL, affecting migration potential.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"It offers an easy-to-use interface that allows me to monitor instances and update necessary features conveniently."

"It makes it easy to administer the database. It helps to scale your database by providing Read Replicas, which reduce transaction time. It is highly available and durable which helps in disaster recovery and management."

"Based on my experience, I would rate this solution a nine out of ten."

"It is easy to use, flexible, and powerful."

"I use Amazon RDS to support scalability, with multi-AZ support being an essential aspect."

"Amazon RDS provides data encryption using services like KMS, crucial for securing high-sensitive data and meeting compliance requirements such as HIPAA or PCI DSS."

"The provisioning is much faster. You don't have to prepare hardware or install software. You just need to create an instance and you have a database."

"The most valuable aspect of Amazon RDS is it is on the cloud."

More Amazon RDS pros

"This is a stable solution and offers good performance."

"The valuable feature of Google Cloud SQL is its high availability option. The product is stable."

"I found its storage and security to be the most valuable. It was a good experience. It is also very stable and scalable, and its support is perfect."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"Google Cloud SQL enhances our AI-driven projects by providing features like query optimization and scalability for efficiently processing large datasets."

"It directly provides robust data safety. It also offers various other storage options, such as Google Cloud Storage. These services ensure data security and redundancy. Furthermore, it includes different storage classes, allowing flexible data management tailored to specific needs."

"The implementation part of the product was easy."

"The deployment model allows for significant control and flexibility."

More Google Cloud SQL pros

Cons

"Some of the features will not be there. For example, some on-premises things we want to set up will not be supported there. There are some challenges that they are fixing."

"It would be helpful if they made it easier to migrate from an existing on-premises solution to the cloud-based service."

"The solution's connectivity and response logs could be improved."

"I also don't think it's very scalable."

"They should add a feature for manual SQL patching in RDS."

"One notable improvement that could enhance the database management experience, particularly during migration scenarios, is the accessibility of the root user."

"The solution could improve by adding a sandbox environment and more security."

"The technical support from Amazon could improve. I would rate them a six out of ten as they do not fully meet my expectations."

More Amazon RDS cons

"I would appreciate more flexibility with specific extensions applicable to engines like PostgreSQL. This would enhance the capabilities of Google Cloud SQL."

"I am yet to explore a lot of features that are present in this solution. However, it would be good if more documentation is available for this solution. This would help us in preparing for the certification exam and understand it better. Currently, we don't have much documentation. We do the labs for 20 or 25 minutes, but we can't capture and download anything."

"It is hard to do logging with the solution."

"I would like to see better integration with all the different tools on the platform."

"For data analysis, the AI area of the product has certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

"I would appreciate more flexibility with specific extensions applicable to engines like PostgreSQL."

"The monitoring part could be better."

"Google Cloud SQL needs to improve its support for high-end I/O operations. On-prem systems with high I/O capabilities perform better, as Google Cloud SQL takes more time to handle the same tasks."

More Google Cloud SQL cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is less expensive than SQL Server. We pay based on the usage on a monthly basis."

"Licensing fees are paid on an annual basis."

"Amazon RDS could improve by reducing the price."

"The solution’s pricing could be cheaper."

"Amazon RDS is cheaper compared to other tools."

"The platform pricing is on the higher side, but given its capabilities and ease of use, it remains competitive."

"AWS is becoming pretty expensive because cheap or absolutely free services have become paid services. Amazon RDS is not an expensive product, but Amazon's ecosystem is becoming increasingly expensive."

"The solution is expensive."

More Amazon RDS pricing and cost advice

"It is not expensive, especially considering the significant reduction in database management time."

"The solution is affordable."

"While the platform’s pricing may be higher, it aligns with industry standards, considering the quality of service and features provided."

"It's really cheap. It wouldn't be more than, I believe it's around 50 euro per month for running a cloud SQL."

"You need to pay extra costs for backup and replication."

"From a financial perspective, Google Cloud SQL is on the cheaper side."

"The pricing is very much an important factor as to why we use this solution."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Database as a Service (DBaaS) solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

882,260 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

10%

University

Healthcare Company

Financial Services Firm

13%

Computer Software Company

11%

Educational Organization

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	23

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	9
Midsize Enterprise	4
Large Enterprise	9

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon RDS?

The product's installation phase is easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon RDS?

The pricing for Amazon RDS is reasonable.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Amazon RDS?

Currently, I cannot think of any major improvements. Perhaps more platforms in terms of database engine versions would be beneficial. Right now, Amazon RDS supports MySQL and PostgreSQL, but there ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Google Cloud SQL?

The implementation part of the product was easy.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Google Cloud SQL?

We have set up automated patch management for Google Cloud SQL, and it does on a daily basis what needs to be done, so it is pretty good overall for maintaining our database security.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Google Cloud SQL?

Sometimes the sharing with third parties or configuring that in Google Cloud SQL is not the most intuitive. From a user perspective, if Google Cloud SQL integrated AI directly into the query so tha...

See all answers

Comparisons

MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon RDS

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Amazon RDS

Compared 12% of the time

Oracle Database as a Service vs Amazon RDS

Compared 10% of the time

Yugabyte Cloud vs Amazon RDS

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer vs Amazon RDS

Compared 5% of the time

More Amazon RDS Competitors

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 29% of the time

MongoDB Atlas vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 15% of the time

Oracle Database as a Service vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 5% of the time

Oracle Exadata Cloud at Customer vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 5% of the time

Google Cloud Spanner vs Google Cloud SQL

Compared 4% of the time

More Google Cloud SQL Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon RDS

February 2026

Download Amazon RDS product report

Buyer's Guide

Google Cloud SQL

February 2026

Download Google Cloud SQL product report

Also Known As

RDS

No data available

Overview

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is a web service that makes it easier to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. It provides cost-efficient, resizeable capacity for an industry-standard relational database and manages common database administration tasks.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

Google Cloud SQL is a fully-managed database service that makes it easy to set up, maintain, manage, and administer your relational PostgreSQL and MySQL databases in the cloud. Google Cloud SQL offers high performance, scalability, and convenience. Hosted on Google Cloud Platform, Cloud SQL provides a database infrastructure for applications running anywhere.

Google

Sample Customers

Edmodo

BeDataDriven, CodeFutures, Daffodil, GenieConnect, KiSSFLOW, LiveHive, SulAm_rica, Zync

Buyer's Guide

Amazon RDS vs. Google Cloud SQL

February 2026

Free Report: Amazon RDS vs. Google Cloud SQL

Find out what your peers are saying about Amazon RDS vs. Google Cloud SQL and other solutions. Updated: February 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

882,260 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Amazon RDS vs. Google Cloud SQL report.

See our list of best Database as a Service (DBaaS) vendors and best Relational Databases Tools vendors.

We monitor all Database as a Service (DBaaS) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.